Gate foe swifg bridges



(No Model.) 2 SheetsSh eet 1'. W. PILIATREAULT.

GUARD GATE FUR SWING BRIDGES. No. 587,685. Patented Aug. 3, 1897.

i s 1 i (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

W. FILIATREAULT. GUARD GATE FOR swnw BRIDGES.

Patented Aug. 3, 1897.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IVILFRID FILIATREAULT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO HENRY M. MEEHAN, OF SAME PLACE.

G UARD-GATE FOR SWING-BRIDG ES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 587,685, dated August 3, 1897.

Application filed May 24, 1897. Serial No. 637,891. (No model.)

T all whom it may concern: the gate-bars and swing therewith and auto- Beit known that LWILFRID FILIATREAULT, matically assume the supporting position a citizen of the United States, residing at Chishown when the gates are closed. A shaft a? cago, in the county of Cook and State of Illiis also journaled in the casings and located 5 nois, have invented certain new and useful on the opposite sides of the rack-bar and has Improvements in Guard Gates for Swinga pinion a mounted thereon. This pinion Bridges; and I do hereby declare the followengages with the outer side of the'rack-bar. ing to be a full, clear, and exact description The inner ends of gate-bars D D are rigidly of the invention, such as will enable others mounted on shaft to, the opposite free ends 1o skilled in the art to which it appertains to of these bars swinging'across the pathway D make and use the same. at either side of the bridge-approach and'clos- This invention relates to improvements in ing the same. The rack-bar extends down that class of devices employed to guard the through the bottom of the casings and is proapproach to open draws, the gates being auvided nearits longitudinal center with across- 15 tomatically operated by the opening and closbar (1. which forms a cap-bearing for the uping of the bridge. per ends of companion springs-a a the lower Figure 1 is a broken-away plan showing the ends bearing on the inside bottom of the easapproach and a part of the bridge and the ing. The rack-bars are made of a proper relative position of the guard-gates. Fig. 2 weight to act as a counterweight for and to 20 is an elevation of one end of the bridge; Fig. regulate the movement of the gates-that is,

3, a view looking at the face of the bridgethe springs are compressed on the down moveabutnient; Fig. 4-, a vertical transverse secment of the rack-bar when the bridge closes tion on line 4, Fig. 1, looking in the direction and gradually force the rack-bar up and lower indicated by the arrow; Fig. 5, a diagram the gates to their closed position when the 25 showing a plan of the operating-cables; Fig. bridge opens.

6, a sectional elevation 011 line 6, Fig. 1; and In the center of the face of the abutment, Fig. 7, a vertical longitudinal section on line Fig. 3, and below the street-surface is located 7, Fig. 1. abarE,havingavertical movement inguides A may represent the bridge A the apb b. On either side of this bar are located o proach, and A the abutment. sheaves b b, which are rotatably mounted in In Fig. 1 the bridge is shown in its closed place. The inner ends of the operating-caposition, the gates being in their elevated bles b b pass over the top of these sheaves open position. v and are secured to the opposite sides of bar At the two sides of the bridge-approach are E, as at Z). These cables then run along in 3 5 mounted companion casings B B, rigidly sea horizontal plane and around the guidecuredinplace. Arack-barB,Fig.4,isplaced sheaves b If, then turn at right angles and on the inside of the casings and adapted to run back under the approach and up over have a vertical movement therein. This rackguide-sheaves b b and connect with the lower bar is provided on the inner side with teeth aend of the rack-bars actuating the gates, as 0 and on the outer side with teeth a. Ashaft 0. shown in Figs. a, 5, and 6.

is journaled in the casings and has apinion a The outer ends of a pair of lovers F F are mounted thereon, which engages with the inpivotally mounted, as at d, the inner ends ner side of the toothed rack-bar. The outer being adjustably attached to the upper end ends of the gate-bars C C are rigidly mounted of bar E by a pivot-pin d, Fig. 3. The join- 9 5 5 on the shaft 0. the opposite ends being free ing ends of the levers are each provided lonto swing up or down in the act of opening and gitudinally with a slot (1, which feature perclosing. The gate-bars C C when closed exmits the same to conform to the change of tend across the driveway of the bridge-apposition necessary in opening and closing the proach, as shown in Fig. 3, this being the pobridge. 50 sition they assume when the bridge is open. A bracket-arm G, Fig. 2, is secured to the Props a a are pivoted to the inner ends of under side and end of the bridge and has a frictionroller 01 mounted on the lower end thereof. This roller is adapted to have a frictional contact with the levers F F, which lie in the pathway of the same in the opening and closing movement of the bridge. WVhen the bridge is open, the companion levers assume the inclined position shown in Fig. 3, the gates being closed. When the bridge is turned to its closing position, the roller (1 comes in contact with one or the other of the companion levers in accordance with the direction in which the bridge is moving and gradually depresses the same and forces down the bar E, which in turn has the efiect of drawing down on the cables connecting with the same and throwing them upward to their open position. Vhen the bridge is swung open, the roller on the bracket-arm gradually passes out of contact from the levers as they are gradually raised to their normal position by the action of the springs a forcing the rack-bars upward and gradually lowering the gates to their closed position. 1

An additional precaution is provided in the way of a bumper or stop H, which is located on the approach some way back from the gates. This bumper is adapted to shut down level with the street-surface, Fig. 1, when the the bridge is closed, and assume a raised position, Figs. 3 and 7, and obstruct the roadway when' the draw is open. This bumper is more especially necessary where the bridges are crossed by street-car lines, g representing track-rails. A double track is shown, the arrows in Fig. 1 indicating the direction of travel, so that but one bumper is necessary at each end of the bridge for the stopping of street-cars.

One end of the bumper is mounted on a pivot-pin g, located below the street-surface and adapting the opposite end to swing up and down in an opening g The pivoted end is provided with a lever-arm 9 extending downwardly therefrom. To the lower end of this arm is connected one end of a cable h, which leads down over guide-sheaves h h and then runs back around guide-sheave h Figs. 3 and 5, and is secured to the gate-cable bias at M. This connection will automatically throw the bumper up to theguard position (shown in Figs. 3 and 7) when the bridge is opened. The bumper shuts down into the approach flush with the surface by force of gravity when the bridge closes, thus having a simultaneous movement with that of the guard-gates.

Having thus described in y invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a guard-gate for swing-bridges, the

combination with the companion casings, of

a rack-bar, providedwith teeth on opposite sides and adapted to have a vertical movement, a shaft, a journaled in said casings,

a pinion, a mounted on said shaft and engaging one side of said rack-bar, the gatebars, mounted on said shaft, a bar E, having a vertical movement, the companion sheaves,

I) Z), the operating-cables, having their inner ends secured to bar E, and their opposite 7o ends connected with the lower ends of the rack-bars, the companion levers F F, pivotally mounted at their outer ends, the inner ends being adjustably attached to bar E, and the bracket-arm secured to the end of the bridge and adapted to have contact with said levers and force the same downwardly with bar E and raise the gates to their open position when the bridge closes, substantially as described.

2. In a guard-gate for swing-bridges, the combination with the companion casings, of the rack-bars, provided with a cross-bar and adapted to have a vertical movement therein,

the springs inserted between said cross-bar and the bottom of the casings, the shafts, j ourn aled in said casings, the pinions, mounted on said shafts, and the gates, connected with said shafts, whereby the gates are lowered to a closed positionwhen the bridge is 0 opened, substantially as described.

3. In a guard-gate for swing-bridges, the combination with the bracket-arm, secured to the end of the bridge, of the bar E, the conipanion levers F F, the cable 11 the cable h, connected thereto, and a bumper, having a pivotal movement on the bridge-approach, and with which the cable It has a simultaneous movement with that of the bridge-gates, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I atfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILFRID FILIATREAULT. Witnesses:

L. M. FREEMAN, L. B. COUPLAND.

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